Author's notes: Still do not own anything. Sam will refer to Gabrielle as Queen when she is protecting herself or describing Bri when she is more Queen then her mom. Hope you enjoy!
The Queen's Tradition Chapter 13
Gabrielle can feel the soft bed, the warm blanket, she feels her arm tucked tightly to her body wiggling her fingers to assure herself they are there. Her uninjured hand begins to move around, bringing it to her face, feeling the damage, then next over to her injured shoulder, gently putting pressure on it, a slight moan escaping her lips, she hears a shuffle of feet turning towards her direction. From there her hand lingers on her chest as it rises and falls, needing to feel the beat of her own heart. She takes a deep breath, testing her body's current limits, before she finally moves her hand to her side where she lightly traces the long wound there. Gabrielle opens her eyes to see her soulmate staring at her from the end of her bed. In two quick strides, Xena is by Gabrielle's side, taking her hand and taking her lips. It is a gentle kiss, but one filled with relief, gratitude, and love.
"Hey" Xena says, Gabrielle smiles and reaches her hand up to cup Xena's cheek, she shakes her head yes to answer the unspoken question that she is okay, she is alive, and she isn't going anywhere. Xena bends forward and kisses Gabrielle on the forehead as her eyes close and she drifts back to sleep.
The next time Gabrielle awakens, she feels Sam curled up against her. She moves her hand until she has Sam's within her grasp, and gently squeezes it. Sam's eyes fly open, she bolts upright on the bed,
"Mom! Your awake you're okay Thank the Gods" Gabrielle is brushing Sam's tears from her face, she has a wide smile upon her face.
"I am honey, thanks to you." Gabrielle pulls Sam's face so that Sam is looking at Gabrielle. Sam dives into Gabrielle with a fierce hug her emotions boiling over, forgetting about all her mother's injuries, Gabrielle's flinching never registers. They remain in that position for a little while longer until the healer comes over to check on the Queen.
"Sam, honey, why don't you go get me something to eat."
"Sure, anything special? I am also going to let everyone know you're awake." When Sam gets no response on the food request, she heads out of the healers hut. Bri hears some mumbling, then a loud cheer.
"What was that all about?" Gabrielle asks with a puzzled look upon her face.
"My queen, you had everyone very worried, so let's just say your personal guard had expanded by several since you returned to my hut" remarked the healer as she was tending to Gabrielle's injuries.
"Bri!" Ephiny says with a soft smile on her face as she entered the healers hut.
"It is good to see you more awake. Xena had told us you had awoken briefly, but that was. And then I just heard from Sam you were awake, awake. Why are you looking at us that way?"
"The Queen is puzzled, Sam announced she had awoken, and there was quite the display of happiness as a result."
"Oh, she doesn't know that there has been a vigil being held for her recovery."
"I do not believe it has sunk in yet."
"Hey! I am right here, and mostly can form my own questions and words." Gabrielle says. Ephiny sits down on the bed next to Gabrielle
"It is good to see you awake my friend, you did give us reason to worry."
"I was simply resting, having you are my regent has certainly worn me down all these years, and it finally caught up to me." Gabrielle injects, trying to bring some levity to the seriousness of Ephiny's words.
"I had myself worried too, Eph, I didn't think I was going to be able to write this one down. Sam's timing was spot on." Gabrielle looks up at hearing two sets of feet enter the healers hut, she locks eyes with both loves of her life, thankful she gets to look into those eyes again. The healer places her hand behind Gabrielle's shoulder, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"Let's get you sitting up, so you can eat." Ephiny begins to assist the healer. Once Gabrielle is sitting, although she struggles to find a non-painful way to sit, Sam and Xena join Ephiny on the bed. Xena is on the other side of her soulmate while Sam is sitting at the end of the bed, crossed legged.
"I can say this, the next time I decide to get a sword wound, I am going to go for a better place than across my side, hades, this is uncomfortable." Gabrielle says as she winces trying to ease some of the discomfort.
"Lean on me, it might be a tad less painful." And Bri does just that, leans onto Xena, more drawing comfort from their closeness.
"How are the guards?" Gabrielle asks Ephiny
"They have been tended to, and are resting in their quarters. Both will be fine."
"Then we still emerged without casualties, Thank the Gods."
"I disagree, the Gods had nothing to do with it, you and Sam are the reason everyone survived." Xena interjects.
"I think this last round was more Sam than me, I didn't help much. I was just relaxing in our hut." Feeling everyone going to object to her tone
"I am not trying to make light of what just happened" Gabrielle catches an odd look on Ephiny's face
"Everything that happened, it is very real to me, and I am still working it all out, but I do believe Sam is the reason I can work it all out." Bri lowers her head and closes her eyes as the emotions build, she feels Sam place a reassuring had on her leg, she can feel Xena's strength radiating thru her as Ephiny's love is caressing her.
"I do want to know everything you did Sam, I heard you leave the hut, I heard the commotion outside, but then I heard a sword being drug on the ground, and large heavy boots approaching." Gabrielle then begins to recall those moments. Telling them how she used the dagger Xena keeps by their bed to land a strike, how she narrowly dodged the slice to her side, how Dasani picked her up, slammed her into the wall, and how just as she knew this was her last moment, Sam appeared. Gabrielle explained how in a panic state, she drug Sam and herself out of the hut, afraid there was a large scale attack, only to realize it was the last desperate acts of two men who were once again bested by the Amazons.
Sam then told her side to the group, her battle with Dasani's brother, frantically running into hut, seeing the Queen, feeling the rage take over, flinging herself into Dasani and her mom, thinking her mom was dead, attacking the person responsible, then having her mom wake her up, then the Queen help her outside. Sam tells of the relief to felt that it was over. Neither Sam nor Gabrielle talk about what was said.
The exhaustion of retelling and reliving those moments weighted heavily upon everyone in the room, once everyone had stirred from their own thoughts, they noticed Gabrielle had again fallen asleep. Xena and Sam remained as Ephiny excused herself, needing to seek her own comfort to sort through the knowledge of how close she came to losing her friend.